Blog:October2014

Radio has a term for when the music or talk program stops and the commercials start–it’s called a “stop set.” The length varies by station and time of day, but the average stop set lasts three and a half minutes, and the average station airs nine minutes of commercials per hour. And those stop sets are crowded. As anyone who’s ever listened to radio knows, there can be anywhere from three to six, or more,…

“Every brand is hilarious lately,” is what journalist T.L. Stanley observes in a recent Mashable article about how more brands are working with comedians to create advertising and longer-form content. Stanley notes how companies are also giving comedians a looser leash to create edgy, shareable stuff, citing Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, the Tim and Eric directed GE lightbulb commercial starring Jeff Goldblum, and President Obama’s guest stint on Between Two Ferns, hosted…

Mark Ramsey is a veteran media strategist and researcher, with a particular specialty in radio. He also hosts and curates Hivio, an invitation only “audio future festival.” Mark invited Erik Diehn, Midroll Media’s VP of Business Development, to participate in a video interview about monetizing podcasts. With all the discussion these days about native advertising, it is interesting to hear Erik explain how podcast ads are “a truly native ad.” He says that because the…

Multi-Channel Networks–or MCNs–seem to be the buzz in entertainment tech, and are catching the eye of investors. But what exactly are MCNs, and why should the podcasting industry take note of them? Chris Erwin, Head of Operations for Big Frame, is Adam’s guest for episode 65 of The Wolf Den, helping us get a clearer picture. First, Chris explains that today, “MCN is a bit of a misnomer.” The first MCNs came about when YouTube…

Last quarter Midroll surveyed the listeners of 106 podcasts on our roster to learn more about who they are and what their buying habits are. The response was overwhelming–279,864 listeners took the survey. Listeners responded because they understand that it helps the podcasts they love to find the best and most appropriate advertisers. Listeners also understand the bargain: podcast ads keep their favorite shows free and in production. We have compiled the results of this…